The Gem Collection
by Skrubstar
Summary: Things don't have to be magical to be beautiful. A collection of vaguely interconnected Shirou x Rin oneshots.


**As per usual, Fate Stay night belongs to Type-Moon, I'm just playing in their sandbox.**

**Cuddles**

One of the very first things that Shirou learned about Rin was that she was not a morning person,

It came as a massive surprise seeing the normally perfect school idol look like a zombie first thing in the morning.

Once they had started dating, Shirou also found out that this hatred of early mornings also lead to Rin venting on a poor alarm clock. So in an attempt to be a nice boyfriend(and because he didn't want any more broken windows due to thrown alarm clocks), Shirou decided to wake Rin up gently one morning.

Which lead to another important discovery about Rin Tohsaka. She was a massive cuddle monster.

=/=

"Rin, It's time to wake up, I've made breakfast"

"Mrgl…"

Seeing that gently trying to coax Rin awake did not work, Shirou tried lightly shaking her instead.

"...five more minutes Shirou."

"We both know that you'll sleep in for the rest of the day if I let you. Come on Rin, you're going to be late if you don't wake up now"

Rin's eyes cracked open at that and Shirou smiled at his apparent success. The smile lasted for all of two seconds before Rin decided to grab Shirou in a last ditch effort to stay in bed.

"T-Tohsaka?!" Shirou was panicking and trying to flail his way out of her grip but to no avail. His struggling only made Rin's grip tighter.

"Rin, if you don't let me out of bed, we really are going to be late. So uh, please let go?"

Rin sniffed a bit and seemed almost on the verge of tears. "So you don't like it when I hug you…?"

Now Shirou started panicking for an entirely different reason. "Yes! I mean No! I like it when you hug me."

Shirou started blushing and even half asleep, Rin smirked at her victory.

"Then shut up and enjoy the cuddles."

Shirou let out a sigh and accepted defeat. Either he admitted that he didn't like Rin when she got cuddly or he was going to spend the next few hours in bed.

Besides, the bed was rather comfy and Rin was being absolutely adorable with how much she wanted cuddles so perhaps getting a little more sleep wouldn't be the worst thing in the world…

Needless to say, they were both extraordinarily late to class that day.

**Nightmares**

It was hard to believe the Holy Grail War only lasted two weeks. Those two weeks had such a massive impact on her life and as such, it seemed almost impossible that it had lasted only a scant fourteen days.

Rin had come out of the war stronger, smarter, and wiser yet also with her fair share of scars. Some were just faded cuts that magecraft couldn't fully heal. Others were phantom pains from injuries that had long been healed. But the most frequent reminder of the Holy Grail War was the nightmares.

Sometimes it was Berserker and the mind-numbing terror he emitted. Other nights it was the cursed black grail spilling out its hatred upon the world. On rare occasions, it was Kotomine Kirei and the fake smile he wore to hide the monster underneath.

But for Rin, the most terrifying nightmare from the Holy Grail War wasn't even one she experienced in person.

=/=

It always started the same way, a room packed full of people. Everyone was watching the stage in the center in anticipation. Because on that stage, an innocent man was about to die.

A tanned man with white hair and silver eyes lethargically made his way onto the stage in chains.

And upon his entrance, the entire crowd erupted into jeers and insults.

Murderer, Terrorist, Monster. All these were thrown around and more at an innocent man whose only goal was to save everyone.

Rin wanted to scream at them for their idiocy. To start firing Gandrs and free Shirou from this mess that never should have happened.

But no matter how hard she struggled, her dream self couldn't move an inch. She was just another spectator to the execution of international terrorist Shirou Emiya.

The noose came down, and a moment later, Shirou Emiya was dead but this time, there was no smile on his face. Tanned skin turned deathly pale and white hair turned blood red. And when the dead man's eyes opened, they were a sickly yellow instead of silver.

You knew I was innocent Rin, so why did you just sit in the crowd and watch Rin? Why did you let me die?

Rin shook, both at the ferocity of the glare from the person she loved and because she just didn't know the answer.

"I tried!"

As always, you're lying to yourself Rin. But it doesn't matter what words you tell yourself, at the end of the day, you didn't even move an inch.

"That… that wasn't me!"

Oh? And what makes you so different? You have the same memories, the same personality. You're going to abandon me, and the worst part is, he won't even hate you for it. So go on, play your little game Rin. We both know how this is going to end.

=/=

Rin woke up screaming.

Those words couldn't be true. They had to be lies, they had to be. ...right?

Unbidden, tears began to fall and Shirou was beside her in an instant.

"Shirou… I'm… left you."

Rin tried to say something but the words just died in her mouth. For how could you even apologize to someone for abandoning them to die?

Shirou cut off the Rin's attempt at apologizing with a tight hug.

"Rin, there's nothing to be sorry about. Just like Archer isn't me, that Rin isn't the same one as

the one who's in my arms right now. She wasn't the person who fought and bled beside me. She isn't the same Rin as the one who feels so much guilt over actions she never committed. And that's why you don't have to apologize Rin. You haven't left me and you never will."

"Shirou…"

"Uh, I know the words were a little sudden but-"

"...hold me a little longer?"

"Of course Rin."

And that's how the two of them stayed for that night. Basking in each other's presence and taking comfort that someone was there for them.

**Teasing**

Homurahara Academy had a wide range of reactions when the news dropped that Rin and Shirou were dating. Some people wished the new couple good luck and others were disappointed that the hottest boy/girl was now taken. However, a small fraction of the school vehemently protested the pairing.

The most outspoken of these protesters was none other than Issei Ryuudou, the School Council President himself. Although, his reasoning was a bit… different from everyone else's.

"Emiya! I don't know what sort of magic that demon has cast on you but I assure you, as the heir to Ryuudou Temple, I can purify you of her witchcraft!"

Shirou didn't really know what to do except laugh nervously. Ever since the day that the news leaked that Rin and he were dating, Issei wouldn't stop trying to find ways to convince him to break it off.

"...she's really not that bad," Shirou protested yet it fell on deaf ears as Issei continued to use more and more methods to coerce Shirou into leaving Rin.

"Honestly Emiya, she's bad news. She seems to be the type that will get you involved in something dangerous someday." Shirou blinked in astonishment from his friend's surprisingly accurate assessment. It seemed Issei's dislike of Rin wasn't entirely unfounded.

"You really don't need to do anything Issei. I'm seriously fine as is."

If anything, Shirou's dismissal only served to add more fuel to the fire that was a ranting Issei.

"As if I could leave you in the grasp of that witch Emiya! Come to the temple this summer, we can purge you over the Witch's influence there and if that doesn't work then-"

Shirou more or less tuned out Issei at this point. Issei was a great friend and all but the impassioned rants seemed a bit over the top.

The rest of the students at Homurahara Academy certainly seemed to agree as a crowd of spectators had formed in order to watch the fireworks. And at the head of that crowd was Rin, listening in with a curious tilt to her head.

"I don't even get what you see in her Emiya! She's an absolute demon in the morning-"

The curious head tilt had turned into a scowl and Shirou's attempts to get his friend to stop talking went entirely ignored.

"-a deceptive witch with a penchant for making the target of her ire burst into tears-"

Something ice cold settled in Shirou's stomach. Rin's eye was twitching she looked moments away from firing gandrs.

"-and she's completely flat!"

Something shattered. It might have been Rin's patience. In any case, she stalked towards Issei with a predatory grin and murder in her eyes.

"And what do you want you lascivious witch?", scowled Issei. Upon hearing his response, Rin's smile grew even fiercer.

"_Hyuu-dou-kun_, you call me lascivious yet you're the one who's trying to steal away my boyfriend despite having already been rejected."

It was like a bomb had gone off. The entire crowd was stunned silent as everyone tried to figure out what was going on.

"W-what are you even talking about? I've never even approached Emiya with anything resembling romantic intentions?"

Issei was panicked and confused at this point yet all Rin did was twist the knife deeper.

"Oh really, then what would you call your constant attempts to get Emiya to break up with me and spend the entire summer alone with you?"

Issei just stood there, stunned into silence with his mouth wide open as his mind tried to figure out what was going on. Instead of showing mercy to her defeated adversary, however, RIn just went for the killing blow.

"And no matter what you call me, that doesn't change the fact that you tried to seduce Emiya in the student council room. Stripping in front of him all alone in a place where you know no teacher or student would visit. Tsk, tsk, and you call em the shameless one."

Issei fell backward into a dead faint, mind having given up all attempt at trying to figure out how to respond to Rin's accusations. The entire crowd burst into conversation as they too tried to figure out the truth behind what was apparently a love triangle with Shirou, Rin, and Issei. And Rin? Rin just cackled.

'You're the devil Rin.", Shirou sighed. If anything that only served to make her cackle harder.

"I thank you for the compliment"

**Well, I hoped you enjoyed. As per always, comments and criticisms are appreciated!**


End file.
